Those Two Wrongs

All my life, I’ve heard that two wrong don’t make a right. As a child, I didn’t understand exactly what that meant, but it didn’t make sense to me. The reason it didn’t make sense is because, for example, if I got into a fight with one of my cousins, the person who started the fight was the only one who got in trouble. We were both made to apologize, but the person who started it was the one who got in real trouble. It was the same when it came to arguing. Whoever started the argument was the one who got in trouble, not the one who hollered back.

Grown FolksIn my twenties, even though I had learned that two wrongs don’t make a right, I didn’t care about the premise of that fact. I’ve always said that I can’t be anything or anyone other than my true self, but I’m grateful I’ve matured enough to (1) recognize that few things are as concrete as this fact, and (2) admit that, at one point, I was all about doing the same wrong, if not a greater one to anyone who had slighted me. It didn’t matter who that person was, but my actions reach a ridiculous level after I got married. We carried on with the tit-for-tat games for years! Some things were trivial, some were major.

My Greatest Wrong

I often hear people say they have no regrets in life. I do. I went back and forth with my ex-husband and didn’t care what lengths I had to go to in order to get back at him. If he wronged me, I was going to get him back regardless of the consequence. Guess what happened? My child saw the absolute worst in both his parents. I hate that. I’ve said it before and it still holds true today: he saw the incorrect way to handle many things, but he has chosen to be the bigger person and take the grown-up route in cases of conflict. I can’t thank God enough for that.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. In fact, two wrongs tends only to further the conflict, tension, and controversy. It’s easier said than done, but be the bigger person who takes the high road. It’s not always easy and in all honesty, I find myself wanting to stay on the low road sometimes, but I know the consequences. Stay classy, folks!